Delicious, Nutritious Homemade Sweet & Sour Chicken!

I love sweet and sour anything: that flavor is just addicting, isn't it? Unfortunately, sweet and sour sauce is usually filled with all kinds of stuff I don’t want to eat. Colors, preservatives, artificial flavors, etc. So I set out to make my own sweet and sour sauce.

Now I have it on hand to make all manner of delicious sweet and sour recipes, like chicken! Not only that, I can use organic or pastured chicken with skin on it and everything! I can get a real nutrient-dense meal that still tastes like sweet and sour! Have you tried your hand at making “exotic” dishes like sweet and sour chicken? How did they come out?

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. organic or pastured chicken thighs/legs (the more skin & bones the better!*) (chicken wings, legs or drummettes would also be great here)
• 1-1.5 c sweet & sour sauce
• 1/3 c broth
• Chopped veggies of choice (broccoli, celery, carrots, potatoes, cauliflower, water chestnuts, etc)
• 1 tsp. dried thyme leaves
• 1/8 tsp. pepper

Directions:

1. Place chicken and broth in the clay pot and cover with sweet & sour sauce, stirring to cover.
2. Cover and seal, cooking on “stew” setting 1 hour.
3. About 10-15 minutes before it’s finished, add vegetables, thyme, and pepper. Allow it to finish cooking, and serve over rice, quinoa, noodles, or whatever.

*Note:

Not only are cuts of meat that include bones and skin cheaper, those things are incredibly nutrient-dense and can be used even after the meal is gone!

• The skin is full of collagen and gelatin, and a little bit of fat, all of which are very nutritious and filling. So you get lots of important nutrients like collagen and gelatin for your hair, skin and nails, and you also eat less overall, because these ingredients are very satiating--you get fuller faster and stay fuller longer.
• Further, there is evidence that eating protein without accompanying fat can even be toxic to the body—no more skinless/boneless (tasteless) chicken breasts for me!
• The bones are also full of amazing vitamins, minerals and not surprisingly: easily absorbed calcium for your bones! Calcium from pasteurized dairy products and vegetables is often not absorbed by our bodies at all—but if you make bone broth your body is getting easily accessed calcium, as well as a plethora of other nutrients, minerals and vitamins that are great for your whole body. If there are any joints or cartilage included with the bones (like when you use a whole chicken carcass or buy beef soup bones)—you’ll also have a rich source of nutrient-dense gelatin, which is great for joints, skin, hair, nails, and the entire digestive system.